Archive By Section - Regional Sports

Last week I was able to get out for a few days of fishing on the Delta. The bite wasn't the best but we did manage to catch our limits. As far as the weather, it was absolutely amazing. I was also able to fish Lake Pardee, we didn't get a single bite but once again the weather was great. What I did find humbling about my trip to Pardee was that as we were heading back towards the launch ramp, I counted several people walking up to their cars with limits of trout on their stringers. Then ...

Blood from open cuts streamed down the face of Oakdale Mixed Martial Arts Academy Fighter Justin Smitley like war paint as he was hoisted up by his brother Brad McDonald after a thrilling three-round battle in the main event of the Art of War Stand and Deliver fight card on Saturday.

Keeping it simple often is the key ingredient to an angler's success out on the water. Of all my boxes and boxes of tackle I still find myself going back to my old faithful lures when the latest and greatest stuff just isn't working. Any top pro will tell you that he or she may use a variety of different techniques but owes a lot of their success to one or two techniques or baits. They've mastered that bait and its presentation therefore keeping it simple. Too much time is wasted trying out different lures. A co ...

I was looking through some of my tackle the other day and it was sad to see once popular baits that were no longer being used. Like most hobbies there's always something better that comes out that you just have to have. For a while there I was obsessed with having the latest and greatest until I fished with a guy called Bill. Bill was in his 60's and I heard from a friend that he was a pretty good bass fisherman. I ended up getting to know Bill and eventually was able to go fishing with him ...

Lodi fighter Josh Thornburg of the famed Cesar Gracie jiu-jitsu academy (the home of Nick and Nate Diaz) will attempt to reignite his once-promising career at the expense of former Oakdale High wrestler, football player and undefeated Oakdale Mixed Martial Arts Academy fighter Buddy Wallace.

Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas was the place to be if you considered yourself either an avid gin rummy player or fan. The Gin Rummy Association presented The Holiday Classic Tournament from Nov. 11 through the 14 for gin rummy partners and singles and one Oakdale man walked away with top honors. Greg Anderson came home with the world title in hand.

I'm not sure the exact reason but this is the time of year when I see the most arrests being made for poaching on the water. The following information was taken from the California Department of Fish and Game website: "If you witness a poaching or polluting incident or any fish and wildlife violation, or have information about such a violation, immediately dial the toll free CalTIP number: 1 (888) DFG-CALTIP 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Be prepared to give the fullest possible account of the incident including the name, address, age and description of the ...

With fight leagues like Strikeforce, Pride and World Extreme Cagefighting now merged with the pinnacle conference of MMA - the Ultimate Fighting Championship - the list of quality fight leagues outside of the UFC have dwindled down to just a few.

I can't remember how many times over the past year that I've emphasized being prepared for the unexpected while out fishing. The unexpected happened to me a few years ago while out on the delta. Fishing out of a relative's fairly new boat we were surprised to hear the ever so dreaded "click, click" sound when attempting to start his boat at the end of the day. His batteries had died and we were officially stranded! Being a new boat as well as a new boat operator his only useful device on board was his cell phone ...

Fish attractants have been used in some form or another for many years. In the middle 1980s I can remember there being a big interest in fish attractants as several major tackle manufacturers added fish attractants to their product line. I can remember one specific brand that comes to mind "Bait mate," it was in a liquid form with a consistency that was similar to vegetable oil. One quick spray of this supposedly would create a feeding frenzy. Every major fishing show started to endorse the use of fish attractants and anglers followed accordingly. To add a little confusion manufacturers ...